The Worst Thing In Today’s Crisis Management

The worst thing that has happened to us in terms of being able to resolve problems, deal with crisis and act on opportunities, the absolute worst thing that has happened to us is voicemail. It is the bane of modern civilization and is just awful. Because you can't get to anybody even when they're supposed to be there.

I mean, obviously I'm biased, because I understand not being able to get to me because I’m busy on pre-design tasks. I'm not there. I understand. What I don't understand is not getting to the secretary or assistants and so forth. Their job is to be there.

With those people who work with you, you must somehow instill the idea of urgency, that this must be handled now.

If you didn’t go to a marketing or business event before the internet, you wouldn’t know this, but in those days, an event was a giant Tupperware party, but we sold tapes. And if the product's not there, this is fatal, cuz that's the whole point. The attendees may think the point is that they get to hear Colin Powell or a Football player of President or something, but that that's not the point. The point is to sell as much stuff as we can. And it's harder to sell from an empty wagon than from a full wagon. In fact, in that environment, it was almost impossible.

So a while ago, the afternoon before an event, there was no product for three speakers – Zig Ziglar, Peter Lowe and Dr. Broers. No product. Now, I've had days when mine hasn't been there and I immediately go into the massive action mode. I'm on the phone screaming at my secretary, I'm on the phone screaming at the guy, I'm on the phone screaming at UPS. I'm finding the guy at seven o'clock at night. When he says, “I don't see it,” I say, “I don't care that he went home.” I want boxes. Boxes. Real single minded – Boxes. I'll find the box.

The next day now I happen to be standing there at two o'clock in the afternoon and there's still no product. And the president of the company says to the guy who's supposed to be handling this, “What's the deal?” Here's his answer. “I don't know. I left messages and they haven't called me back.”

But see, that's normal today. He thinks he did something, but he doesn't understand Urgency. He did nothing, because he's exactly where he was as if he didn't make any calls. He might as well have said, “I didn't make any calls,” because the outcome's the same. “I don't know nothing.” And the end outcome's the same - we don’t have no box and his job is to get the box, not make a call, but get the box. Right? And he didn't get it.

Now the guy before him, when we had a situation with my boxes, he was in his own rented car in the UPS terminal at 11 o'clock at night, looking for the boxes. That's the correct response. Now he ain't supposed to be there and they're not supposed to let him in and all, but that's the right thing.

The wrong thing is, “Well, I left messages.” And, “Well geez, it's only been a few hours.” No, no no – Minutes. Seconds. Right? That's urgency, but people don't get it. Successful people do.

There are a few more stories I share on this inside my Brass Balls training and if you’re a Gold member, you can listen to it right now for free inside your members area under the title “CD4”.

If you’re not a member of the newsletter, let me give you access to Brass Balls and $19,997 worth of training for free this month for just for the difficulty of trying it out at www.nobsletter.com.